UWF alumni, community advocates Stephen and Mona Wright gift $500,000 to establish new institute

Alumni Stephen ‘81 and Mona ‘79 Wright, community advocates and co-founders of the nonprofit Coastal Connection, are investing $500,000 in the University of West Florida to create the Wright Family Institute for Global and Population Health housed in the Usha Kundu, MD College of Health.

 “The establishment of the Wright Family Institute for Global and Population Health paves the way for UWF to make tangible changes in the community health space while adding valuable opportunities for our students to gain real-world experience in public health with leading national organizations like the National Institutes of Health, with whom we are proud to be partnering in our first official institute event this October,” said Dr. David Bellar, dean of the Usha Kundu, MD College of Health.

 In addition to establishing the institute, the gift will fund opportunities for students to engage in high-impact global and regional public health studies to inform policy and improve public health.

The Wrights have a passion for helping others achieve health equity. Through speaking engagements at UWF, Stephen and Mona have previously shared their insights with UWF nurses on diversity and inclusion strategies when achieving health equity.

 “We, the Wrights, are so honored to partner with UWF on the creation of the Institute,” Stephen and Mona said. “Experience has shown that scientific research affects advocacy which then influences public policy. These factors culminate in helping others positively impact the social determinants that have historically kept the global population from achieving success.”

 Throughout his 37-year career, Stephen worked in a variety of leadership roles in health care, most recently as CEO for CHRISTUS Health Louisiana and Southeast Texas, which employs more than 6,500 associates and 2,000 medical staff members in more than 10 facilities throughout Louisiana and Southeast Texas. Now in retirement, Stephen is president/board chair of Coastal Connection, and along with Mona, provides mission work in the U.S. and internationally.

 The Wrights have been longtime supporters of UWF as Argonaut Athletic Club members and Football Founders. Stephen and Mona have made significant gifts to UWF Athletics, naming both the head athletic trainer’s office and the head strength and conditioning coach’s office. Members of a three-generation Argo family, Stephen and Mona support UWF in many ways. In 2019, the Wrights established a scholarship endowment, assisting students in UWF’s School of Education. Mona was named a decade champion for her gift on UWF’s Day of Giving in 2022. Stephen and Mona have also participated in UWF’s Day of Service during Founders Week, donating truck loads of food to UWF’s Argo Pantry, for students battling food insecurity. Stephen also serves as a UWF Foundation Board member.

For more information about the Wright Family Institute for Global and Population Health, visit uwf.edu/wrightfamilyinstitute. For more information about UWF’s Usha Kundu, MD College of Health, visit uwf.edu/ukcoh.